The lingerie brand of the teen retailer American Eagle appeals to young women with its curvy models and unretouched images.

Iskra Lawrence is perhaps the most recognizable Aerie model, and she illustrates the confidence Aerie encourages its shoppers to have as well.

She told Business Insider she was axed from her first modeling agency for having hips that were "too big." She was just a teenager at the time. Now Aerie announced that she would be an official brand representative.

Jennifer Foyle, Aerie's global brand president, said in a statement:

Aerie is about embracing and celebrating the real you; Iskra embodies our mantra of challenging conventional standards through her unique beauty and vibrant personality. We are thrilled to bring her to the forefront of our campaigns.

Lawrence chatted with Business Insider last summer about her experiences as a model and about what's important to her. It solidifies that she is, indeed, a role model for young women.

Before that, she was a swimmer, which helped her develop a good relationship with food. "Because I was a swimmer, I felt like sports did help me to realize that my body was more than what it just looked like ... and if didn't eat, then I couldn't swim fast," she said.

She was dropped from her first agency because her hips were too big. "I was about 15-16," she told Business Insider, "and they just said to me, 'Your [hips are] 36 inches — they need to be 34 at this age. They're too big.' That's just destroying."

When she started out modeling as a "straight size model," she was appalled at how much her photos were altered. "I was like, that's not even my forearm!" she said. "They literally airbrushed my forearm."

She doesn't diet, but she tries to eat food that is healthy.

"It's definitely intuitive," she said, regarding her diet. (She ate a cookie during the interview.) "When you get to that point where you don't have to worry and you don't have to think about it ... I'm pretty sure that's the best diet you can be on." She also said she hated the diet industry — she said she wanted to "basically stop the diet industry from ruining people's lives, because it's so corrupt."

The Seal of Approval is a symbol for young women to know that something has been approved by NEDA. "It's so specific to be totally unretouched — it's a very hard thing to do for companies," she said, citing how wrinkles in clothing often need to be retouched. This seal lets young girls know they're "looking at something that isn't damaging."

She says she posts bikini photos on Instagram not but to be sexy, but to show people bodies. "I'm just trying to show bodies — we need to see bodies! There's nothing wrong with that," she said, added that many young women feel uncomfortable in their skins.

"These young girls, they just want to see someone normal. I'm very normal," she said. "I've struggled for ages to try to do this and because of that ... I've learned about myself, and that's what makes me who I am today."

She has received positive feedback from her fans, and she posted one drawing she received on Instagram. She has even received positive feedback from young girls' parents. "That's why now I feel such a responsibility," she said.

When not modeling or serving as a NEDA ambassador, she's a normal girl who likes to have a good time. She says she makes silly karaoke videos with her roommate, and she's loving living in New York City — she just moved here a year and a half ago.

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